Cannabis has become more widely accepted than ever before in America. Most states have legalized the plant in some form, and half of adults have tried it at least once. But while it seems that approval of marijuana has been on a continuously upward trajectory, a new meta-analysis suggests the tide may be turning.
RELATED: Trump and Harris actually agree – on this one thing
Cannabis consumer research company CBD Oracle conducted the analysis, dubbed “The Poll of All Polls,” examining data from 70 different weed-related polls over the last decade. The report centered around one question: Should cannabis be legalized in the US?
The analysis found that, overall, the majority of Americans support marijuana reform. However, it uncovered evidence that support peaked at 71 percent in 2022 and has declined since, hovering around 62 percent in 2024.
Report authors believe a data outlier is responsible for the shift, pointing to the 2022 SICPA/Harris Poll of 2,069 US adults indicating that 78 percent of Americans favor legalization. The results of that poll were significantly different from the others. CBD Oracle also theorizes a spike in consumption over the COVID-19 lockdowns may have led to conflated attitudes around the plant that year.
RELATED: Anti-doping leader thinks Olympians should be able to smoke pot
“While the current 62 percent support for legalization is a positive thing overall, it may seem concerning that support has apparently declined since 2022,” the report authors wrote. “It could be that after the pandemic boon for the cannabis industry, we’re settling back into the norm of around three-fifths of voters supporting legal cannabis nationwide.”
Despite the downturn, authors believe support for cannabis will continue to climb. Opposition to legalization has remained below 30 percent since 2020. The fact that two-thirds of Americans under the age of 45 favor reform also supports the theory. While the authors admit only time will tell, they’re confident the decrease isn’t permanent.
“This likely isn’t a long-term trend that we should be getting worried about – if anything, the trend is towards increasing support,” the report authors concluded.
